Norway v England Preview & Tips (26th May)

Norway and England cross paths in a friendly affair on Saturday, May 26th. Game starts at 18:45 GMT.

Teams News

Norway

Norway nearly made it to this summer’s Poland-Ukraine affair after tying Portugal’s tally of points in Group H of the Euro qualification round. If not for the inferior goal-difference against Portugal, Norway would have qualified for its second-ever appearance in the illustrious European tourney. Their Euro debut was a group stage exit in 2000.

Norway has won three of the last five. While the three wins ended convincingly – 3:0 against Ireland and 3:1 against Cyprus for instance – they were also convincingly defeated in the two lost games. A 2:0 loss against Denmark and 4:1 against Wales showed how much Norway needs to improve on if they are to become a fixture in the European Championship.

England

England will be playing their first international under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson. The 64-year-old Englishman signed a four-year contract as manager of the Three Lions earlier this month; the team’s hopes for a first-ever Euro trophy this summer rests on his shoulders. Hodgson has two friendlies to play before the continental tournament starts for them on June 11 in a game against France.

England won’t be wasting a good run en route to Ukraine this June. They have won three in the last five against the likes of Spain, Sweden, and Wales. Another hyped prospect lies in the possibility of Steven Gerrard captaining the squad for this game. The inspirational Liverpool midfielder is backed by the fans to renew his already-eminent international career in the Euro this year.

Norway v England Betting Preview

Beyond the results, football fans all over the globe will set their eyes on this game to check on how England will perform under Roy Hodgson. Well, it’s not just Hodgson, but the fact that England has been on an international roller-coaster form since failing to make the Euro tournament in 2008. Since then, much have changed – perhaps for the better – and if there’s anything likelier than a good England performance against Norway this 26th, it’s the fact that they will be playing for a win.

Betting Tip

Verdict: Norway 0, England 2.

Tip:

England is at 11/10 to win, 17/2 to win at 2-0. Hodgson prides his team in discipline and organization, and given the Three Lions’ ability to score, expect a clean sheet with at least two goals (or more, but that’s going to be more of a risk).

Steven Gerrard has a knack of scoring goals whenever his name is intensely incanted – the press made sure there’s no shortage of that – and he could feature as a goalscorer. He is at 5/2 to score anytime, but be sure to cover him scoring first at 8/1. There’s not so much in it for him to score last, since Hodgson could sub him out early in the second half.

Ashley Young is at 3/1 to score anytime. Be sure to cover him as well, as he found the net more than once during England’s recent Euro qualifying run.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).